The Irreverent Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Maine

11/01/2025

3 days ago, I was running around Baxter State Park in my trail runners and microspikes. There was very little snow to speak of; mostly ice with an inch or two of fresh snow from mostly flurries. 2 days ago, I hiked the 8 miles in to Kidney Pond camps to spend the night and struggled through 8-12 inches of freshly fallen snowfall that continued to buildup through the night. Yesterday, I made my way back through all that snow, plus a little bit more, thanks to overnight "flurries" and gale force winds covering much of my tracks. It's not often that you can have a whole campground in BSP to yourself, but the pleasure was mine and I savored every moment while trying to get my cabin warm and thawing out from the long day. All that accumulated snowfall was blown off of Katahdin. What seemed like an endless snowfall turned out to be flurries that continued to pile up on the footpath and taking down trees for good measure. Tough hike in and out, but I thrive in adverse conditions and the wind, snow and after dark arrival added to the yet another great adventure.

11/01/2025

Hiking in Maine isn't easy. Do whatever it takes.....

11/01/2025

Take a hike.....

09/01/2025

The white blaze on the other side of this unsafe and dangerous open water indicates the direction of travel for this portion of the Appalachian Trail in Maine; however, that blaze is often underwater in high water conditions. Stay safe and safe travels.

09/01/2025

08/01/2025

Another cold, bitter, raw and windy day. A good day to just walk and walk and walk; so I did. 16 miles before I started running out of daylight. Steady "flurries" all day produced 3" of fresh snow. 2-3 foot drifts along Daicey Pond made the going slow and tedious. By the time I headed back to my car, all my tracks had disappeared and were long gone. Good day to be out and about. Not much for pictures; just this one of the cold waters of Nesowadnehunk stream from Daicey Pond campground.

08/01/2025

I walked up and down this stream, trying to find a safe way to cross, so that I could get to the other side where the footpath continues. There was none to be found. Over 60 unsafe and dangerous open waters along the Appalachian Trail in Maine pose a significant risk anytime of the year, making much of America's most popular, and visited, National Scenic Trail inaccessible to hikers, or a death wish if there ever was one. Stay safe and safe travels.

07/01/2025

Take a hike.....solo, that is.

If you’re thinking about going solo backpacking, here's a beginner’s guide including the gear you need and how to plan your first trip

06/01/2025

Talk about a fancy footbridge for crossing unsafe and dangerous open waters along the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. We can't even get someone to drop a log across any of the river and stream crossings along the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Shameful.

06/01/2025

Another chilly day in Baxter State Park. 3 degrees when I began my hike along the Abol Stream trail to Kettle Ponds, then Rum Pond trail to the Roaring Brook road and back by way of the Cranberry Pond trail. Met 8 folks walking to Chimney Pond with plans to climb Katahdin. That's the most people I've seen in the past 2 months; all in one day even. Another windy and cold day on the way tomorrow. I could see the snow blowing off the ridges. Looked cold and it was. Watched the ice flowage on the Penobscot River from Abol Bridge. Yesterday the flowage was made up of slush, but that all changed overnight with the colder temps and today's flowage was icebergs. Kind of creepy listening to them grind and crunch against each other. Didn't spend too much time in the open. Frozen eyeballs, you know.

06/01/2025

Interesting.....